SNAPSHOTS - Wellbeing

Snapshot sessions give you a 'snapshot' of a range of awesome projects happening across the motu - and beyond! You'll hear from all the presenters below, and there'll be a chance for questions and answers afterward.

Wicked Tooth Fairy: Making a difference in oral health care for young people in Nelson

The Youth Consultation survey in 2016 identified that access to health and wellbeing services were difficult for some young people due to cost, lack of transport or chaotic families that are unable to support their whanau with basic needs. One in four young people do not access free oral health care services. We know that poor oral hygiene is part of a bigger picture of a community system that needs additional support and resourcing to enable healthier outcomes.

The Wicked Tooth Fairy is our answer! The purpose of the service is to:

Support young people to access oral healthcare

Liaise with free dentists, schools or places of education or work and provide transport, support to fill out forms and advocacy when at the dentist.

This is a free service.

Ruth Rogers

Debbie Hollebon

Whanake Youth

Supporting school nursing in New Zealand

Our presentation will review the challenges faced in school health,acknowledging the significant efforts made by many professionalscommitted to improving health services delivered to youth in secondary schools.

We will then present our recent research from last year into servicechallenges, and introduce the exciting new development in response to some of these challenges, including web-based resources aimed at supporting best clinical practices in school health services.

Attendees will leave with knowledge of our newly developed, easilyaccessible, purpose built website, and knowledge of how to utilise the content to enhance the care and support they offer young people. Attendees will also have the opportunity to critique and make suggestions for further development to support clinicians working in school health services.

Christine Cammell

Dr Simon Denny

NZ School Nurses

Looking Forward: Another milestone in nurse prescribing

The changing health needs of the population, inequitable access to healthcare and the opportunity for nurses to maximise their scope of practice has shifted the tradition of medical prescribing. This shift has seen the development of an innovative model of nurse prescribing within the community. Nurse prescribing in the community allows for improved access to medicines at the point of care.

Thirty three nurses completed the 'Registered Nurse Prescribing in Community Health: Trial and Evaluation' within Counties Manukau Health in 2017. Preparation included a blended education programme, clinical supervision and credentialing of competence to prescribe within this scope. Clinical pathways guide decision making and medication selection. Registered Nurse prescribing promotes collaborative team work, improved assessment and clinical reasoning skills, and improved access to healthcare services.

This presentation shares the journey of how nurses working in the community are able to prescribe for common health conditions, thereby reducing barriers to health access.